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Is this IQ good enough
I tried today a new combination of lens and teleconverters and would like your opinion regarding the final image quality. I think it is good enough. Don't mind the composition or the sensor dust. I am just asking if this is good enough quality to consider using this combination of glass or do I need to look for a better alternative.
If I did the math right FL= 300x1.4x2=840mm and then with Dx crop factor x 1.5= 1260mm when compared to an FX lens. I loose 1 f stop with the TC-14e and 2 f stops with the TC-200 making the lens effectively a f/11.
Nikon 300mm f/4+ Nikon TC-14eII (x1.4) + Nikon TC 200 (x2)
Nikon D7100
ISO 2500
F/16
SS 1/640
On Tripod+Ballhead.
Tones adjusted in LR, exported to PS, Bird masked with Topaz remask and passed through Detail. BG masked and passed through Denoise.
This is the full frame.
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Image Quality looks good to me. That's a lot of glass you were shooting through. I have thought of getting a 1.4 TC for the 100-400 to see how it would come out. Do you have a crop around the head so I can have a closer look at the detail?
- Dave
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This is a 100% crop from PS without any sharpening or any other editing.
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After PS
This is the same crop after Post processing.
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This is an image taken with the nikon 300 f/4 at f/5 ss 1/5000 iso 450
Last edited by Joaquin Barbará; 01-14-2014 at 09:27 PM.
Reason: wrong exif info
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And here is a 100% crop without any post processing.
Last edited by Joaquin Barbará; 01-14-2014 at 09:28 PM.
Reason: wrong exif info
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Now this is the correct image.
Nikon 300mm f/4 + TC 14eII shot at f/5.6 1/1250 and iso 1250. Just decreased exposure -1.17 in LR to correct for ETTR.
Attachment 136714
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100% crop of the above image. I have been very happy with the image quality that I have with that combo. I got mine TC used from KEH. I love their service. If you are not happy with the lens you just return it with no questions asked or any fuzzing. The JPG conversion sucks. If you want to look at the NEF file I can send it to you just send me a PM
Attachment 136715
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Forum Participant
Hi Joaquin
The IQ certainly looks good enough to me for these to be acceptable. I think you may struggle if the lighting is not good at f11 though.
I notice on the crop there is some chromatic aberration around the head. You may be able to deal with this in post processing but I suspect it is being caused by your combination.
Iain
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Joaquin,
The image quality of the GBH looks very good (that is with the 1.4 only correct?) When you compare the two photos The photo with the stacked TCs looks like it does suffer some IQ loss. Not saying i wouldnt stack them if i had both. That is an inasne amount of reach for the price.
- Dave
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Post a Thank You. - 1 Thanks
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Originally Posted by
Joaquin Barbará
This is a 100% crop from PS without any sharpening or any other editing.
I agreed that you were shooting thru a lot of glass and your technique must be really good. I'd say that this is a bit soft compared to say a 100% crop of a much more expensive lens combo such as a 500F4 II + 1.4X II (or III) or a 600 f4 II + 1. 4X II (or III). Or speaking another way, the 300f4 + 2.0 image IQ is not in the same league with a 600f4 II, but I guess you know that. Your question is whether the IQ is good enough. I'd ask "good enough for what." If you post the OP in the Avian forum, I'd guess that many folks would give you the feedback that the image is a "little soft." Loi
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Hi Joaquin- The IQ here is pretty darn good, not the best, but considering you are stacking TCs .....!
Agree the heron is much better at 100% which of course you would entirely expect with the bare lens. The focal length of the lens and both TCs is 840mm. Forget the crop factor of the sensor, that only impacts the field of view of the lens combo, not pixels on subject.
Of course the issue with the lens combo is small aperture requiring high ISOs to obtain sufficient shutter speed, reduced light collecting power, noise, loss of AF and the effects of diffraction. In a sense you have a digiscoping rig, which can produce some pretty good results as is shown by your ibis portrait.
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Stacking TC's is always going to soften an image, but how much is acceptable is up to you. Nothing beats getting close with a prime lens and maybe a 1.4x. Having f/11 is going to cost you shutter speed which in many cases could equate to softness from subtle motion blur.
Your 100% shots of the ibis would be deletes by my standards, and the heron would be a marginal keeper. (Hard to judge on it because of the DOF.) But for presentation at web sizes, the ibis is good enough. If I had a shot that was otherwise a killer, I'd probably keep it even at that softness.
But if you want to compare sharpness of two different lens setups, you can't do it with two different shots in the field. Paste a grid of sharply printed magazine pages on cardboard, very flat, and set up your two rigs and shoot with both in the same lighting, with a very steady tripod, orthogonal to the surface. This will remove as much as possible any softness from camera motion or focus / DOF issues.
But I think you know what the answer will be, and it comes back to, only you can say if it's good enough.
